Interview With Michael Riemenschneider: How Social Media Helps Restaurants

I have recently had the chance to interview Michael Riemenschneider, who is not only my husband (lucky me), but also a very famous Michelin Star Chef. I had first gotten to know him as Yelp’s Community Manager 3 years ago, when I first tried his food and was blown away. Since Restaurants and Social Media combine my two biggest interests, I wanted to ask him how social media can help restaurants.

Michael has trained next to some of the best in the industry – ranging from Heston Blumenthal to Gordon Ramsey, Pierre Gagnaire and Michel Bras. He has had a very successful career, being awarded with top scores in the Good Food Guide, top Rosette scores in the AA Guide, listed on the Best Restaurants in the UK and has been awarded with the icing on the cake of the Restaurant industry – the Michelin Star/s.

Let’s ask Michael what role social media marketing had in the success of his restaurants.

Have you always used social media for your business?

I started small – since I didn’t always have time to run my own social media, but I always did. When I didn’t have time, I had someone run my social media accounts for me, which lifted a lot of weight off my shoulders – especially when working 18 hour days as a chef.

What benefits did you see from social media and marketing for your business?

I have always believed in the power of social media. It’s a free advertisement platform for yourself and your business that millions of others use. You can reach not only your customers but also present yourself in front of your ideal audience and reach more customers for the future.

People love food and love to look and share food photographs on social media. You see the hype with people coming in to your restaurant and taking photos of their food before they start eating and posting it on their social media accounts. It already markets itself. All we have to do as chefs is to make sure we deliver great quality and beautiful food and have social media accounts, so the customers can tag us. The benefit is clearly that it markets itself and people act as your brand’s ambassadors – without even being aware of it.

On top of that, I also recently had a lot of chefs reach out to me for either collaborations or also juniors for wanting to get hired. It shows that my Instagram profile, despite not having a huge following, must be doing the trick – otherwise people wouldn’t reach out to me through it.

What type of marketing best works for restauranteurs do you think: Instagram and Facebook, Review Sites or influencers?

A good mix of all is important, I would say. Each platform has their benefits. I personally like Instagram a lot and think that people spend a lot of time on it. It is also very visual, so it is easier to capture people’s interests with your food pictures.

Review Sites such as Tripadvisor and Yelp, on the other hand, have always been part of the game – whether we like it or not as restaurant owners. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of your game and be proactive on review sites. It’s good for feedback, although some people can also be harsh with their critique that is not necessarily always justified.

Influencers are a different strategy on their own. Just like journalists, bloggers have become increasingly important in spreading the word about your restaurant and marketing it. I have always seen this as an opportunity and have invited bloggers to my restaurants since my first opening in London.

What’s your favourite platform on social media for your business?

I think I already mentioned above – it’s Instagram. Simply because it is in everyone’s hands and it’s easier to communicate with people visually. I like to do a mix of posts, videos and lives.

What are some tips you can give to other restaurant owners?

Social Media is important for the restaurant business – whether we like it or not. It’s great for marketing purposes – especially because you have control over it and it’s free! So definitely make use of this – it’s important. Either do it yourself, or if you have a budget then get somebody to do it for you!

Thank you to Chef Michael Riemenschneider! You can follow him on Facebook and Instagram.